- by Jay Daniells
- Case Study, Past Projects - Completed, Push Bike Restorations, Restorations
In 2021 I custom painted this 16″ wheel kids pushbike. It was a commission project. It was a birthday gift for a 4 year old girl from her parents. The girl’s favorite colour is pink, so when I suggested I paint it Fluro Pink, they were all in.
The four year old girl is a bit of a tom-boy, so I replaced the handlebars with BMX style handlebars to give the bike a more ‘BMX’ look to it.
I had been wanting to custom paint a BMX-style bike to look like a 1980’s GT Performer freestyle bike for some time, so decided this was the opportunity. The parents agreed.
I custom-designed the decals. The girl’s name is ‘Charlie’.
The donor bike was one I found at a ‘Dump Shop’. It was completely seized but the frame was good.
Safety tip: If an old bike is restored to be ridden, make sure the frame and all parts are structurally sound. Check for rust, cracks or dents in the frame, cracks in the welds, and any other potential structural defect that could lead to the bike failing and causing an accident (that could result in injury or worse). Have the bike fully checked by a professional pushbike mechanic before you start restoring it if you are not sure.
I’ve been restoring and custom repainting push bikes for over 12 years. It is one of my hobbies. I post pushbike projects on this Facebook page.
Update: The parents recently gave the bike to their daughter. The girl (Charlie) apparently very much likes her new pushbike 🙂
